Mobile irrigation system

ABSTRACT

In a mobile irrigating system having a plurality of wheel mounted irrigating pipes coupled together in a line to a central internal combustion engine powered driving unit, a hollow cross support for the axles stores a season&#39;&#39;s supply of fuel and indicating panels mounted on the wheels show the alignment of sprinkler heads mounted on the pipes.

United States Patent [191 Mortimer [4 1 Dec. 2, 1975 1 1 MOBILEIRRIGATION SYSTEM [75] Inventor: John A. Mortimer, San Jose, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Shur-Rane Corporation, San Jose,

Calif.

[22] Filed: Jan. 27, 1975 [21] Appl. No: 544,171

[52] US. Cl. 239/212; 137/344; 239/73 [51] Int. Cl. B05B 3/02; B67D 5/08[58] Field of Search 239/71, 73, 146, 147, 177,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,130,745 4/1964 Goodpasture137/344 3,373,936 3/1968 Purtell 137/344 X 3,446,434. 5/1969 Smith, Jr.et a1, 239/213 X 3,478.773 11/1969 Husky 137/344 3,800,820 4/1974Trunnell 239/212 X Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr. AssistantExaminer-Andres Kashnikow Attorney, Agent, or FirmLimbach, Limbach &Sutton [57} ABSTRACT In a mobile irrigating system having a plurality ofwheel mounted irrigating pipes coupled together in a line to a centralinternal combustion engine powered driving unit, a hollow cross supportfor the axles stores a seasons supply of fuel and indicating panelsmounted on the wheels show the alignment of sprinkler heads mounted onthe pipes.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures US. atent De. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 3,923,249-

US. Patent 1360.2, 1975 Sheet20f2 3,923,249

MOBILE IRRIGATION SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The inventionrelates to an internal combustion engine powered mover for use in amobile irrigating system and more particularly to an improved powermover connected in the center of a line of coupled, wheelmountedirrigating pipes.

The centralized power unit applies a torque to the wheel-mounted pipesthrough a motor-driven bull gear which is mounted on a wheeled carriagewhich straddles the pipe. Driving power is usually also provided to thewheels of the carriage as well as to the bull gear. In many mobileirrigation systems, since the sprinkler heads are attached directly tothe lengths of rotating pipe, alignment can be a critical problem sincethe entire line of coupled pipes must be rotated to the new position andstopped at exactly the point where the sprinkler heads are pointed inthe proper direction so that they will properly irrigate the field. Thissometimes requires a certain amount of jockeying of the power mover. Inapplication Ser. No. 544,208, filed Jan. 7, 1975, and entitled METHODAND APPARATUS FOR REVERSIBLY POWERING A MOBILE IRRI- GATION SYSTEM, andassigned to the assignee of the present application, a power mover witha reversible, internal combustion engine is described. The reversibleengine in that system easily allows such maneuvering of the pipes toproperly align them; however, there is still the problem of providing anadequate visual indication of the alignment for the operator.

It is necessary for all these systems to operate over an entire seasonwith a minimal amount of maintenance. In some systems, keeping the unitpowered throughout an entire season can be vexing since fuel mustusually be carried out to the middle of the field.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above and other disadvantages are overcomeby the present invention of an improved, mobile irrigating system of thetype having a plurality of wheel-mounted irrigating pipes coupled inline to a central, internal combustion engine powered unit which turnsthe irrigating pipe wheels by turning the line of coupled pipes whereinthe improvement comprises a sealed, hollow cross support structure forthe central power unit, the hollow space of the cross supportconstituting a fuel tank for the engine, and indicator means mounted onselected ones of the wheels and aligned with each other to indicate therotational orientations of the pipes about their longitudinal axes.

In the preferred embodiment, a hollow, T-shaped pipe is mounted withinthe hollow cross support and a hollow fitting passes into the hollow ofthe cross support and is sealed to the midpoint of the T-shaped pipe toestablish fluid communication therebetween. The fitting is connected bya pipe to the engine and the distal ends of the T-shaped pipe arepositioned within the ends of the hollow cross support. Check valvemeans are mounted within the distal ends of the T-shaped pipe so thatfuel within the hollow cross support may be sucked through the T-shapedpipe by the engine regardless of the attitude of the cross support withrespect to gravitational forces which might cause the fuel within thecross support to accumulate at one end.

The central power unit includes a pair of opposed, parallel axles andthe cross support is elongated and rigidly connected between the pair ofaxles. The hollow of the cross support is sufficiently large toaccommodate a seasons supply of fuel for a two cycle, reversible,internal combustion engine.

The indicator means comprise a plurality of sector shaped panels, eachpanel being attached to a separate wheel and laying flat in the plane ofthe wheel and each panel having a figure graphically depicted thereon.The figure has a major point extending radially outwardly from thelongitudinal axis of the pipe and is aligned with sprinkler headsmounted on the pipes.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an integral fuelsupply for a power mover;

It is another object of the invention to provide an integral fuel supplyfor a power mover which is capable of holding a seasons supply of fuel;and

It is still another object of the invention to provide sprinkleralignment indicating means for a mobile irrigation system.

The foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of theinvention will be more readily understood upon consideration of thefollowing detailed description of certain preferred embodiments of theinvention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a mobileirrigating system according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view, with portions broken away, taken generallyalong the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 after the unit has been moved to a newposition; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical view, in section, and with portionsbroken away of the center support structure of the centralized powerunit of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now moreparticularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a mobile irrigation system 10according to the invention is depicted in which a plurality of hollowirrigating pipes 12 are mounted through the center hubs of individualwheels 14 and are coupled together in a line to each side of a centralpower mover 16. The power mover 16 has a cross support structure 18 onwhich is mounted a reversible internal combustion engine 20. The engine20 drives a bull gear 22 through a reducing gear assembly 24 (FIG. 2).The bull gear 22 resides in a plane which is substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the cross support 18 and is perpendicular tothe line of pipes 12. A short length of pipe 26 passes beneath the crosssupport 18 and through the bull gear 22. The pipe 26 is integrallyconnected with the bull gear 22 and is provided with a pair of flanges28 at either end. It is rotatably mounted to the support 18 by means ofa bracket (not shown). The sections of pipe 12 closest to the powermover 16 are provded with corresponding flanges 40 which bolt to theflanges 28 to make a fluid-tight coupling which is capable oftransmitting torque-from the bull gear 22 to the line of pipes 12.

At the distal ends of the cross support 18 are a pair of axles 30 on theends of which are mounted wheels 32. The axles 30 are each provided withsprocket gears 34 which are connected by driving chains 36 to separatesecondary sprocket gears 38 mounted integrally with the pipe 26 to thebull gear 22.

Each irrigating pipe 12 is provided with one or more sprinkler heads 42and when the pipes 12 are assembled together they are aligned such thatall the sprinkler heads 42 are also aligned with each other along thelength of coupled pipes. As can be seen by the exaggerated bend in theline of pipes 12 in FIG. 2, a certain amount of jokeying in the positionof the power mover 16 is sometimes required to straighten out the line.It is for this purpose that the engine 20 is preferably of thereversible type. An indicator panel 44 is mounted between the spokes ofthe wheels 14 at periodic intervals to visually display when thesprinkler heads 42 are pointing upwardly. The indicator panel 44 issector shaped and is attached to the wheel 14 so as to lay flat in theplane of the wheel. The panel 44 is graphically marked with a diamondshaped figure 45 having a major point 47 extending radially outwardlyfrom the longitudinal axis of the pipe 12. The major point 47 is alsoaligned with the sprinkler heads 42 so that when all of the diamondshaped figures are pointing upwardly the operator knows that thesprinkler heads 42 are properly oriented for irrigation.

In operation, the engine 20 is started in a particular direction andthis drives the bull gear 22 and the secondary sprocket gears 38 so thatthe pipes 12 and the wheels 32 are caused to rotate in the samedirection, thereby turning the wheels 14 of the wheel-mounted irrigatingpipes 12 so that the whole assembly moves along the field. It issometimes necessary to reverse the direction of the assembly in order toalign, for example, the sprinkler heads 42 so that they are properlydirected over the field. In such case the engine is stopped andre-started in the opposite direction so that the whole assembly is movedin the rearward direction until proper alignment is obtained, as isvisually indicated to the operator by the panels 44 and the figures 45.

The engine 20 which is utilized is a two-cycle, eight horsepower,internal combustion, gas powered engine. The engine 20 is constructed insuch a manner that it can run in either of two directions, depending onthe direction in which it is started. The particular engine utilized inthe preferred embodiment of the invention is known in the trade asFujiheavys Robbin Engine, Model E.C. 17DS and is manufactured in Tokyo,Japan.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 2, it can be seen that theengine 20 includes an output drive shaft pulley 46 which turns a drivingbelt 48 connected to a larger pulley 50 on the end of the drive shaft 52of the reduction gear assembly 24. The reduction gear assembly 24 has alow speed, output pinion gear 54 which engages with and drives the bullgear 22.

The motor 20 is connected by means ofa cable 56 to a control case 58,mounted on the cross support 18, which houses a battery. The enginereceives fuel through a line 60 to a hollow coupling 62 mounted in thecross support 18.

As is more clearly depicted in FIG. 3, the cross support 18 is hollowand is used to store a growing seasons supply of gasoline fuel for theengine 20. The coupling 62 passes through the upper surface of the crosssupport 18 and is attached to the midpoint of a hollow, T- shaped pipe64 which extends the length of the hollow interior of the cross support18. The distal ends of the T-shaped pipe 64 are equipped with ball-checkvalves 66 which serve the purpose of closing off either open end of theT-shaped member 64 whenever the corresponding end of the cross support18 is tilted upwardly so that the fuel drains to the opposite end of thecross support 18. This prevents air from being sucked into the fuel line60.

The terms and expressions which have been employed here are used asterms of description and not of limitations, and there is no intention,in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents ofthe features shown and described, or portions thereof, it beingrecognized that various modifications are possible within the scope ofthe invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved, mobile irrigating system of the type having a pluralityof wheel mounted irrigating pipes coupled in line to a central, internalcombustion engine powered unit which turns the irrigating pipe wheels byturning the line of coupled pipes wherein the improvement comprises asealed, hollow cross support structure for the central power unit, thehollow space of the cross support constituting a fuel tank for theengine, and indicator means mounted on selected ones of the wheels andaligned with each other to indicate the rotational orientations of thepipes about their longitudinal axes.

2. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 1 wherein ahollow, T-shaped pipe is mounted within the hollow cross support, ahollow fitting passes into the hollow of the cross support and is sealedto the midpoint of the T-shaped pipe to establish fluid communicationtherebetween, the distal ends of the T- shaped pipe being positionedwithin the ends of the hollow cross support, and check valve meansmounted within the distal ends of the T-shaped pipe, whereby fuel withinthe hollow cross support may be sucked through the T-shaped pipe by theengine regardless of the attitude of the cross support with respect togravitational forces which might cause the fuel within the cross supportto accumulate at one end.

3. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 2 whereinthe central power unit comprises a pair of opposed, parallel axles andthe cross support is elongated and rigidly connected between the pair ofaxles.

4. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 2 whereinthe hollow of the cross support is sufficiently large to accommodate aseasons supply of fuel for an internal combustion engine.

5. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 1 whereinthe indicator means comprise a plurality of sector shaped panels, eachpanel being attached to a separate wheel and laying flat in the plane ofthe wheel and each panel having a figure graphically depicted thereon,the figure having a major point extending radially outwardly from thelongitudinal axes of the pipe.

6. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 5 whereinat least one pipe has at least one sprinkler head mounted thereon and anindicating panel is attached to the wheel mounted on the one pipe withthe major point of the figure being aligned with the sprinkler head.

1. An improved, mobile irrigating system of the type having a plurality of wheel mounted irrigating pipes coupled in line to a central, internal combustion engine powered unit which turns the irrigating pipe wheels by turning the line of coupled pipes wherein the improvement comprises a sealed, hollow cross support structure for the central powEr unit, the hollow space of the cross support constituting a fuel tank for the engine, and indicator means mounted on selected ones of the wheels and aligned with each other to indicate the rotational orientations of the pipes about their longitudinal axes.
 2. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 1 wherein a hollow, T-shaped pipe is mounted within the hollow cross support, a hollow fitting passes into the hollow of the cross support and is sealed to the midpoint of the T-shaped pipe to establish fluid communication therebetween, the distal ends of the T-shaped pipe being positioned within the ends of the hollow cross support, and check valve means mounted within the distal ends of the T-shaped pipe, whereby fuel within the hollow cross support may be sucked through the T-shaped pipe by the engine regardless of the attitude of the cross support with respect to gravitational forces which might cause the fuel within the cross support to accumulate at one end.
 3. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 2 wherein the central power unit comprises a pair of opposed, parallel axles and the cross support is elongated and rigidly connected between the pair of axles.
 4. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 2 wherein the hollow of the cross support is sufficiently large to accommodate a season''s supply of fuel for an internal combustion engine.
 5. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 1 wherein the indicator means comprise a plurality of sector shaped panels, each panel being attached to a separate wheel and laying flat in the plane of the wheel and each panel having a figure graphically depicted thereon, the figure having a major point extending radially outwardly from the longitudinal axes of the pipe.
 6. An improved, mobile irrigating system as recited in claim 5 wherein at least one pipe has at least one sprinkler head mounted thereon and an indicating panel is attached to the wheel mounted on the one pipe with the major point of the figure being aligned with the sprinkler head. 